Andy wrote:ka, my 712 doesn't really "feel" slower than my 710 from a standing start.
The 712 likes cruising at around 54-55 mph. It does not like to accelerate down hills, meaning my foot on the pedal hasn't changed, but gravity has set in and when it hits 62-63 mph the 4500 rpm light comes on.
I know what you mean - my 712 seems to "gather momentum" on motorways. especially on slight downhill grades where a fixed throttle opening results in you slowly getting quicker and quicker...
It aint what you drive, its the way that you drive it...
andy - that's strange that you feel comfotable using your 710's 1st gear in normal driving. mine is way too low for that. i always use 2nd to get it rolling.
did different 710's ever come with different ratios from each other?
and yeah, i vaguely remember my 710amb being quicker off the line than wayne's 710m. that's the prob, tho - my memory.
i do like the ratios in my 710. i guess i need to drive a 712 again before i commit to trading over.
1973 710m
"it is not in the best interest of the shepherd to breed smarter sheep." ~ author unknown
press any key to continue or any other key to quit. ~author confidential
ka and psychoman, what I said about speeds etc is mostly subjective. I have run both on the highway with a GPS as a speedometer and that's where the numbers on mph come from.
My 712 is way lower in first gear than the 710. If I'm leaving a traffic light of moving it from stop, I doubt that I go much further than 50 or 60 feet before I have to shift into 2nd gear. On the 710, starting in first I probably travel 300 feet or more before going to second.
It's much easier to sort of ignore 1st gear in the 712 unless I am off road. Then that low gearing comes in real handy. And like I said, in the 710, yes, I can start from a total stop in 2nd gear, but I have to use much more gas pedal and definitely more clutch to get it rolling and not stall it. It could just be an idosyncacy on that particular 710.
The only thing I'm not real fond of in the 712 is the gas mileage. It only gets about 10 mpg versus a steady 14 to 16 (depending) with the 710.
Badger, on the whole, given what you are wanting to do I would recommend the 712 just based on the extra room. Either way,(710 or 712) you could mount an exoskeleton and carry spare jeery cans for fuel up there. Again, very subjectively, the ride in the 712 is much smoother than the 710 and the noise level is less. Noise level might have a lot to do with the new tops which don't flap as much going into a headwind.
Do some searching through the forums, you will find that some people have felt that the 710 at high speeds is likely to swap ends if you do a panic stop at speed. There is a picture of one on its side in the median, somewhere on this forum.
I have a 710 transfer case in my 712 and feel quite comfortable driving about 62 mph (3500 rpm and 33" tires). I can cruise at 65+ but I don't want to push it that hard. Sound proof the cab floor and engine cover and the noise is not really a problem.
